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Typically, people in Silicon Valley get PTO (paid time off) to use for sick days or vacation.

By having a shutdown, people are encouraged to use up their PTO. If you don't have enough PTO, however, then it is effectively unpaid leave.

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Adobe employees will be fine - they get an unheard-of 24 days of PTO per year (three of which are automagically consumed during the holidays).

Thanks for reminding me again why I love Australia. (20 days Paid Annual Leave, + Sick Leave, + Public Holidays (about 8 per year or so)..

Although I am usually encouraged to take at least part of my time off on the Christmas/NY break (which is Summer for us obviously).

Just think of what you'd have at Adobe in the US: 4 more paid leave days and 3 more public holidays. :) I'm not sure what their sick leave policy is, though.

And my experience is that people save up PTO because if they leave for another job, or get laid off, they can take it as cash. So they have huge backlogs of PTO. Anyway it struck me as having some aspects of how things work in southern Europe.

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